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Public works moves forward on Baskerville culvert and K‑1095 high-risk road project; commissioners opt for road study over Devlin Road paving
Summary
Public Works reported an undersized culvert at Baskerville, sought permission to acquire right-of-way and complete design work, selected Peppercorn Engineering as consultant for the K‑1095 high-risk rural road project, and commissioners agreed to prioritize a countywide road study rather than pursue a Devlin Road paving cost-share application.
Linn County Public Works presented multiple project updates on Sept. 8 and received direction to proceed on the Baskerville culvert and a high-risk K‑1095 project while shelving a specific paving application for Devlin Road in favor of a broader road study.
Public Works Director Jesse Walton told commissioners that an on-call engineer’s hydrology and hydraulic analysis showed the Baskerville culvert is undersized. "They would like to size this up to an 11-foot culvert for the water flow efficiency and providing a much higher road overtopping design for storms," Walton said. He asked for permission to proceed with design work and to acquire right-of-way from adjacent landowners to accommodate the larger culvert and associated slope work.
Commissioners approved moving forward with engineering design and right-of-way discussions; Walton said he would coordinate with the engineer before negotiating with landowners.
Walton also reported on the K‑1095 high-risk rural roads project. The commission opened qualifications and discussed engineering proposals; Peppercorn Engineering was selected as the consulting engineer for oversight of the K‑1095 project. A motion to use Peppercorn passed by voice vote.
On Devlin Road, Walton noted the county’s application for a KDOT cost-share program was due Sept. 18. One commissioner said the county should not pursue Devlin Road paving because of budget constraints and recommended focusing on a countywide road study instead. The commission agreed to remove the specific Devlin Road item from the immediate agenda and add a general road-study item for future consideration; commissioners discussed scheduling a third-week-in-October briefing for the study.
Other public-works items included: approval of burial permit 2025-15 for a road bore for Rural Water District No. 3 (Boring County Road 1077) and notice that two bridges require annual inspections (on-call engineer engaged). The commission opened propane bids (MFA Oil, Heartland Propane and C & J Propane) and directed staff to qualify bids and return next week with recommendations.
Walton also reported a Terracon invoice of $7,139 related to landfill berm and vertical expansion work; the invoice was identified as payable from ARPA funds.
Ending
Public Works will proceed with engineering design and right-of-way steps for the Baskerville culvert, engage Peppercorn for the K‑1095 project oversight and return with procurement recommendations and project documentation to the commission.
